Insights

Firms are not only scrambling to compete in BRIC countries, they are also looking beyond the horizon for growth in frontier markets in Sub Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and other regions.  Despite the inherent risks of expatriation to emerging and developing economies, international assignments are slated to grow 50% by 2020, according to a recent PwC study.  This is so because of the dueling interests of talent in frontier markets and the seemingly boundless economic growth rates, which are redefining company strategy and market expansion priorities.  This shift is unsurprising, as emerging and developing economies will account for six in seven people on the planet by 2016 and are no longer solely the domain for extractive industries, but are now being treated as pure markets in virtually every sector of the economy.  C.K. Prahalad in his seminal work codified the notion that there is a fortune at the base of the pyramid.

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